Video-game development company Unity Technologies is known for software that lets developers build 3D animations, in real time, at a fraction of traditional costs. (Users pay Unity a flat subscription fee rather than a percentage of game revenues.) In 2018, the company expanded its 3D developer tool kit to a number of new industries, including architecture, film, and automotive. Lexus, for example, replaced its clay-modeling process with Unity to render the LC 500 sedan, while the visual-effects technicians behind the film Ready Player One and the Darren Aronofsky–produced Spheres used Unity to view virtual environments during production, obviating the need for costly adjustments in postproduction. In November, Unity won its first engineering Emmy, for Baymax Dreams, a series of animated shorts featuring the blimpy robot star of Disney’s Big Hero 6. Unity CEO John Riccitiello says his company is opening the doors to 3D development: “The world is better with more creators in it.”

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

A version of this article appeared in the March/April 2019 issue of Fast Company magazine.